This invention relates to a guide for directing the prepared end of a coaxial cable into the tubular post of an end connector.
The guide of the present invention is ideally suited for guiding the prepared end of a coaxial cable into the post of a compression type end connector. The coaxial cable comprises a center conductor surrounded by a dielectric layer which is covered by a metal sheath and an outer protective jacket. A compression type end connector is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,257, wherein a hollow post is contained within the body of the end connector and is surrounded by a collapsible ring which extends the length of the connector. The extended length makes proper insertion of the center conductor of the cable into the post difficult and awkward and can result in the cable and the post becoming misaligned or damaged.
A guide for aiding in the insertion of the prepared end of a coaxial cable into the tubular post of an end connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,448 to Holliday and Wong. The guide has an elongated cylindrical body and contains a circular bore that passes axially through the body. The exposed center conductor at the prepared end of a coaxial cable is inserted into the circular bore of the guide and the leading edge of the guide is inserted into the hollow post. The guide is dimensional so that the center conductor and the inner dielectric layer surrounding the center conductor will pass into the hollow post, while the wire mesh layer that surrounds the dielectric layer and the outer barrier layer of the cable pass over the outer surface of the post. As can be seen, to obtain this close alignment between the guide and the post, tight tolerances must be maintained between the outer diameter of the guide and the interior of the post. In the event the guide becomes slightly out of line or out of tolerance, the cylindrical guide will bind, or even plug, against the cylindrical inner wall of the post as the guide is passing through the post. This can cause damage to the cable and the post during the extraction process.